Do you believe that this is the real color of soil?
The artist gathered 576 types of soil from all over Niigata. When he sieved the soil and removed the rubbish by hand, it became clear that it comes in an abundance of colors.
This shouldn’t be a surprise. Up until around 300 years ago, the majority of Niigata was submerged in the sea. There was a sudden rise of land, and it was only 10,000 years ago that terrain of Niigata formed. This is evident in the hilly areas that reveal the complicated faulted structure and the river terraces that are the result of erosion of the Shinano River.
Echigo-Tsumari’s river terraces have 10 layers of precious soil stacked on top of one another, and this soil is the accumulation of the past flora and fauna ecosystem. It is also important to those who depend on soil for their livelihoods.
The artist gathered soil from all around the world, and when he returned to Japan, his views changed. He thought that the land of Japan is as beautiful as a rainbow.
And here, the art poses a question to you.
In Hokkaido alone, the soil is white in the north and black in the east. The north-east is green and pink due to minerals. Kanto’s is mainly dark brown and yellow. The soil in the Tokai region is a light beige. The more you advance to the west of Kansai, the more vibrant colors come out, such as red and orange. Although there is little soil in Shikoku, you may stumble upon blue colors. In Kyushu there is purple soil possibly due to the existence old volcanoes.
What do you think? Aren’t you curious as to color of the soil in the place you were born and raised in?